Historic Site and Historical Park · NPS · HI
Kalaupapa National Historical Park
Photo: Tylor Tanaka, Overview of Kalaupapa Peninsula
Alerts and conditions
Park Closure Kalawao County Restrictions
Access to the park, including Kalawao County, the Kalaupapa Trail, the settlement, and Waikolu Valley, is restricted to residents and visitors with approved permits issued by Hawaii State Department of Health. Violations will result in arrest/fine.
Information Phones Are Not Operational
We continue to experience intermittent outages with our phone lines. If your call does not go through, please try again later, or try to leave us a message and we will get back to you. Thank you for your understanding.
Information Arrival by Boat
It is prohibited to come within 1/4 mile of the Kalaupapa shoreline. Access by boat within the quarter mile offshore park boundary requires a special use permit.
Information Unmanned Aircraft
Launching, landing, or operating an unmanned aircraft from or on lands and waters administered by the National Park Service within the boundaries of Kalaupapa National Historical Park is prohibited. This includes model airplanes, quadcopters, and drones.
Overview
When Hansen's disease (leprosy) was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands, King Kamehameha V banished all afflicted to the isolated Kalaupapa Peninsula on the north shore of Molokai. Since 1866, more than 8,000 people, mostly Hawaiians, have died at Kalaupapa. Once a prison, Kalaupapa is now a refuge for the few remaining residents who are cured but were forced to live their lives in isolation.
From the National Park Service
History
The designation history for this site (every law, proclamation and order, and the administration behind each) is being researched and checked by the Library’s historians.
What to see and do
Activities
- Guided Tours
- Living History
- Museum Exhibits
Plan your visit
Hours
Park Hours: Kalaupapa National Historical Park is home to an active community of people, including patient-residents and State and Federal employees. Because of this, there are no park opening or closing hours, though tours are only given during daylight hours. Visitation is restricted in accordance with Hawai'i State Law. All visitors must have a permit.
Getting there
Kalaupapa is an extremely isolated place, surrounded on three sides by ocean and two-thousand foot cliffs on the fourth. Consequently, there is no road access into the peninsula. Kalaupapa cannot be reached by automobile. To get to the park, visitors must travel by air or on foot. See the park's Direction and Transportation webpage for additional information.
Weather
Hawaii enjoys warm temperatures year-round, although site conditions at the park can vary depending on weather and time of year. The rainy season is in the winter with the more hot and humid days in the summer. Trade winds are fairly constant and typically blow from the northeast. Daytime temperatures range from 65–75° F in the winter to 80-90°F in the summer. Nighttime temperatures are often in the 60-70°F range.
Phone: 8085676802
Whose lands these are
These lands are the ancestral and present-day homelands of Native nations. A section on whose lands these are is being prepared with tribal review. In the meantime, Native Land Digital offers a starting point.
Photos
Pair it with
- Kakahaia National Wildlife Refuge FWS · 7 miles
- Kealia Pond National Wildlife Refuge FWS · 40 miles
- Haleakalā National Park NPS · 60 miles
- Pearl Harbor National Memorial NPS · 65 miles
- Oahu Forest National Wildlife Refuge FWS · 66 miles
- Honouliuli National Historic Site NPS · 73 miles